- Bitcoin is one of the biggest scams to ever hit the internet. Yes, even more so than the Nigerian Prince wanting to send you part of his fortune.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Bitcoin is quite a bit stupid ..
Friday, December 29, 2017
2017 Movie Review ..
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Review: Star Wars Episode VIII½ The Last Jedi or Star Wars: The Crass Jedi
Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
(No spoilers)
This fanboy was clad head to toe Darth Vader. Darth Vader stocking cap ✔️. Vader T shirt ✔️ Vader underwear ✔️. Vader socks ✔️. Black New balance shoes and black sweatpants ✔️. Schnauzer in crate at home during movie viewing with Darth Vader hoodie ✔️
To me, that is the best element of all the Star Wars movies I’ve been to. It’s one of the few movie franchises where the experience in the theater is still the biggest part of the movie. Hearing everyone talk about the plot, characters, and past movies before the previews start builds you up even further.
I also like that you can be safe taking your entire family to a Star Wars movie (if they can handle intense action) ... as there’s no cursing - well - at least translated into an earth language. There’s romance but no bedroom scenes. There’s no nudity. There is artwork, beautiful designs, humor, and there’s always victory.
So, on to the review ...
I have a hard time ranking the individual installments because they are altogether - one story. I would however rank this episode, which is technically #9 chronologically - at the top. I will say that this part in the series represents a true break from the storytelling. The theme - amongst all characters is both verbally and emotionally stated throughout the movie ... “Let the past die.”
“Let the past die,” is a message to the fanbase more than a character arc though. While this movie brings back more cuteness in the franchise (and you are going to wish porgs were real and in your immediate cuddle after watching) - it also steps into more modern storytelling. The Last Jedi, like Rogue One, aim to show you that there are so many other characters that contribute to the plot. Just like in real life, a lot of times, the real heroes aren’t the ones recognized - meaning to say - sometimes - the same people always get recognized - almost as if that’s part of their role in life. This movie really goes to lengths to show that even the hated, even the cute but unimportant have a role. For instance, Chewbacca needing something to cling to after Han Solo being killed. He finds that bond - and in the most unlikely place - in a very heartwarming way. Rey, finds her place, by realizing that it doesn’t matter why you’re there, it matters what you’re doing WHILE you’re there.
As with all Star Wars allegory - there is the promise in redemption and life lesson in pacing yourself towards your goals. Throughout The Last Jedi, the theme repeats as it has throughout ... your help is needed in the quickest manner possible, but don’t make decisions in haste because you seek revenge or recognition.
A lot of reviews seem mixed. As, most of the movies outside the original trilogy have. Go into the movie knowing that you’ll be entertained - and that whether you’re an ardent fan or just an occasional moviegoer - Star Wars is always a fun ride!
I plan to see it at least one more time in theaters and will buy the video to add to my complete collection.
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Why you should(n’t) care about Net Neutrality ...
“How can you be against socialism, yet for socialistic internet?”
“Socialism aims to make the playing field level for all people in regards to _______________.”
Whatever did we do before 2015 (before Net Neutrality was enacted)? Was the "internet broken" before 2015?
Friday, December 08, 2017
Rustomers: Rus's IT Customer Tales
In a former life, I repaired computers - more specifically - Apple computers. From time to time, I still dabble in IT work as a side income.
I say the words, "former life" almost literally as I feel I may have died - several times - come back only to be able to relate these stories to you ... much like the character in the TV series "Forever". (preview below)
Here is one of many insane stories of customer service nightmares I've had to deal with over the years. I'll add to this story in the weeks to come.
In the times before Apple Stores were within a reasonable driving distance, I was in pretty high demand. Also, in some cases, certain people, for certain reasons didn't want to go into a large retail establishment - especially a shopping mall.
I used to work in a small computer repair shop as
"The Apple Guy" ← that was kinda my unofficial title.
One day, a tall, rail framed, young white male with a scar through his left eyebrow, diamond stud earrings, a backwards hat that said "Brooklyn" written in graffiti-style cursive above the plastic sizing snaps, acid washed jeans about mid-thigh, jockey underwear showing, a sports jersey style shirt that said "00" and "Brooklyn Dodgers", and a very large gold chain around his neck with what seemed to be a solid gold and diamond studded emblem that said "BOSS" around his neck - came into the shop to ask for a diagnosis of his Apple laptop that wasn't booting.
I should stress that he asked for a diagnosis - and specifically said several times to call him before I made any repairs. The diagnosis was a standard $35 dollar charge - of which - the balance was applied to your final bill should you have our shop repair your computer. I confirmed that the unit was not booting in front of him while he turned the laptop towards me over the customer counter.
I don't want to make this sound stereotypical - but it was. This guy had bloodshot eyes. He had what looked to be heroin bruise holes and belt/tourniquet marks on his arms. Every sentence he spoke began with, "Here it is" like he was about to break dance for me and every sentence ended with a hip hop style, "you know what I'm sayin' yo"
He filled out his paperwork with only a first name and a phone number.
The first name he wrote?
FIRST _____BOSS______ LAST _____________
I didn't question the contact information.
He left the shop and I started immediately into it. As was my standard practice, I used a program called "Diskwarrior" to see if I could diagnose and fix the booting process and then go from there.
Diskwarrior booted the unit fine. I started the Diskwarrior processes. It completed. I restarted the unit. It booted perfectly.
Upon finalizing the boot, several programs/documents were apparently set to launch on startup. A map of a nearby neighborhood popped up that had red dots on it. An excel database popped up with names and phone numbers. A word document with numbers that looked to be balancing a checkbook popped up. I honestly didn't examine it thoroughly, but it was kinda obvious what popped up. It was a narcotics delivery and balance sheet.
I immediately shut down the laptop. I waited a little while then consulted with my colleagues about the situation. We agreed that I would wait 30 more minutes then call him and tell him his computer had been diagnosed and to come back in. I should have followed that exact plan. Instead, being excited that I had fixed the unit in less than 15 minutes and his only charge would be the diagnosis fee - I called him after a little more wait and said ...
"Your computer is fixed."
I was going to add that it was fixed in the process of diagnosis, but I was interrupted with a very loud scream through the phone.
"WHAT!!!!! I told you to diagnose it yo! I told you to diagnose it yo! I said mother[bleep]in' diagnose NOT FIX yo! I'm coming up there!"
I started running all sorts of scenarios through my head. Was he loading bullets into a gun? Was he loading bullets into guns, plural? Was he about to crash his car through the lobby? Should I call 9-1-1?
He arrived. His face was red. He opened the door violently - and if any harder - he'd have ripped it from the hinges like The Terminator after John Connor. He came up to the desk and said,
"Where's my computer yo? I told you to diagnose it yo! That's what I said! You heard me! Diagnose! I didn't say fix! I said call me before you fix it yo! You said, "Yes." I said, "You know what I'm sayin" You said, "Yes" again. What did you do? What DID YOU DO? You fixed it and that's not what I said, you know what I'm sayin'?"
The more he yelled, the more purple his face turned - the more I could see his jugular vein in his neck pulsing.
He continued for another 2-3 minutes - repeating the same thing over and over. All of my colleagues came out. One of my co-workers who was a rather big guy said,
"Look, how about we give you your money back. It looks like the Apple Guy here followed your instructions exactly, it's just that sometimes - the diagnosis fixes a computer. There just wasn't a lot wrong with it. Just something out of place."
He started breathing hard. I could see what looked like the outline of a gun on his hip slightly protruding after each stomach pump from his hard breathing
With not a word further. He put a $50 bill on the table. He stormed out with his laptop like King Kong about to scale the Empire State Building with a girl in his hand.The End.
More to come soon.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
I bought a DART, But Got TRANKED Powerless By Their Customer Service.
"One, tiny Dart. Power for all your devices.
Then there's this gem of jargon ...Perfect for your mobile lifestyle."
"The Dart is the world’s smallest, lightest laptop adapter. At a powerful 65W it is a perfect complement to today’s thin, lightweight, portable laptops. It fits in a pocket and is designed with a USB port and single outlet profile to make it easy for you to stay charged up when you're on the road. We hope you are as excited about the Dart as we are and looking forward to finally carrying just one, tiny Dart to charge all your electronics. Join our campaign and never be stuck powerless again!"I admit, I liked the wording. So, when I saw the product at my local Staples and thoroughly examined the box, I was excited. I thought ... "Okay, gonna power me some Macbooks and chrome laptops!"
Why on earth did I think that?
Because FINSIX said so, right on it's box.
Wish it had given the web page listed (below) on the box. It's a HUGE list of incompatible laptops. In fact, there's more that the DART doesn't work on than it does work on. The list of incompatible laptops is so big, they have to make up a new English dictionary entry ...
All sides of the DART Box (click picture to enlarge) |
COMPATIBILITY
GAURANTEED
So, I get it home. It doesn't have a USB-C tip. It doesn't have a Macbook tip. It doesn't even have an older iBook tip - like nearly all Universal laptop power supplies do. The Macbook at several points during its sales trajectory has been the number one seller. I can actually understand not including a proprietary tip like the Apple magsafe tip - even though the wording might tell the novice differently. What I don't understand is the USB-C tip - which is common among several brands of computers now.
So, I decided to send an email to get my tips - because you know - tip compatibility guaranteed right?
I won't bore you with the details, but to make a long story short .. the DART is not the DART-C. So, even though the manufacture date of the AC adapter is rather recent (2017) - the DART doesn't fit laptops released over the last 3 years. There's an entirely different universal AC adapter. So, even with tip compatibility guaranteed, no DART for you! But wait! If you want to fork over an additional $30, DART will ship you a DART-C cord/tip/whatever.
The Macbook? Well, that's interesting! After failing miserably with a customer service guy at DART, I tried for a MacBook Magsafe magnetic tip/adapter. I was certain this would also be a gotcha. To my surprise, I was told that a MAGSAFE 2 tip was available and for the free shipping as promised on the box. That's interesting because Apple didn't license that tip out to anyone (nor did they license out the original Magsafe adapter.) Although the Magsafe adapter was extremely awesome, Apple actually went to USB-C on it's laptops so it could be powered by universal chargers.
So, I got that tip in the mail a week later. I'm happy, but kind of in the way the tree, cut to just a stump, in the book, The Giving Tree is happy.
But guess what! I had bought several DARTs at Staples. So, I asked for another tip - a Samsung Chromebook. Nope. FINSIX/DART wouldn't send it to me. Why? I got a weird message about only powering 18.5 volt to 20 volt laptops. Wait, I thought MIT engineers designed this thing as an AC adapter. Nikola Tesla says AC is better than DC because Alternating Current (AC) is better than Direct Current also known as (DC) For the record, the adapter supports 5V USB connections.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Pinless Debit Transactions ...
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Thursday, March 30, 2017
How can you © copyright something you created, drew, or wrote?

Monday, March 27, 2017
Saturday, March 18, 2017
A testimony...

Friday, March 17, 2017
Certain tick bites may cause allergies to red meat ...
Followup to FYT story about eating Angus Beef:
Thursday, March 09, 2017
Do savings apps and social media pages actually save you money?

MyPoints:
Wednesday, March 01, 2017
The 7 Types Of Friends You Need ...
